


Caffeine

by abyssith



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Based on a Tumblr Post, Coffee, Egobang - Freeform, M/M, Polygrumps, Sleep Deprivation, This Is STUPID, and so is brian, arin is a little shit, smaller age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 11:58:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11805537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abyssith/pseuds/abyssith
Summary: Tumblr post: "My favorite college experience is when I had a 7 AM class and the kid next to me literally poured a monster energy drink into his coffee and said "i'm going to die" and drank the whole thing"/"#pick an OTP imagine them meeting like this"





	Caffeine

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I decided to post that I wrote months and months ago. Kinda stupid but whatever. 
> 
> Credit to Tumblr user korrakun and m-azing for prompt.

In Dan’s head, no one should be reading past midnight. But here he is, thick textbooks filling the empty table space around his head at 3 AM at night. Or rather, in the morning. He prefers to think of it as night, because as soon as he begins to truly let the fact that he has a class in literally four hours linger, he’ll actually freak out.  
  
Aw, shit, I’m thinking about it, he thinks, groaning as he really begins to remember his morning class. I’m thinking about it, I’m thinking about it—fuck, my life is so over.  
  
In utter irritation and exasperation, Dan looks around his little area, making sure he’s alone, and then bursts out of his chair and actually flips the table with a guttural noise. Papers go flying everywhere and books crash to the ground, an explosion of noise in the library. Normally he would’ve never thought about doing that, but seeing as he’s the only one crazy enough to be studying for one of his finals at this hour, Dan has no inhibition holding him back.  
  
Except apparently he’s not the only one crazy enough to be down here instead of sleeping, because behind him, a cautious, fatigued voice marvels, “Fuck, man. Studying not treating you well?”  
  
Dan stiffens, his heart stopping momentarily before he slowly turns around. A young man maybe three years younger than him with long, highlighted disheveled brown hair falling in caramel waves down his face is staring at him with wide eyes. A scruffy mustache is beginning to curl over his lip, probably the result of laziness and a clear refusal to shave. He looks vaguely familiar, but not so much that Dan can put his finger on it. The man’s face is red and his eyes are drooping, and Dan deduces that he must be in the same boat. Clearly, he is, because why else would he be down here? Surely not for pleasure reading.  
  
Dan’s abruptly aware of how messy he must look, however, with his insanely curly hair all over the place. In some places, even, it’s sticking to his face with sweat. To make matters worse, he feels his left eye twitch. “Uh,” he stammers, not entirely meeting the other student’s eyes, “yeah. Yeah, I need some sleep. Pretty fucking bad.”  
  
The other man sniffs and rubs his nose, leaning against one of the bookshelves. “Same. Whatcha studying?"   
  
“Er—” Dan has to actually pause and recall what the subject he had been reading about was. “Literature. If you asked which course, I honestly couldn’t tell you, because I might as well be stoned.”  
  
The other man actually laughs. It doesn’t sound entirely healthy, or energized, though. More of a barking noise filled with insomnia-induced hysteria. Still, though, Dan can’t help but grin with satisfaction. “Man, I don’t even remember where my table is,” the other student snickers, massaging his temples.  
  
“Yeah, we’ve all been there. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“A-kay,” slurs the student before turning around and massaging his temples. Then he pauses and calls over his shoulder, “Librarian ain’t gonna like seeing that mess in the morning.”  
  
Dan snorts. “I’ll be out of here before then, believe me.”  
  
“Suit yourself,” is all the man says before disappearing.  
  
Dan stares at the empty place the man had just been in, hardly believing the exchange that had so casually passed between them. It’s not the words that had been spoken—no, in his exhaustion, the other man could’ve told him to fuck off or eat a dick and he wouldn’t have cared. Rather it was the crazy alertness in the other man’s eyes, the odd way that he was affected by lack of sleep. It had given him a strange flush in the cheeks, an almost vulnerable look. And, weirdly enough, it had intrigued Dan, made him want to see more of the other man. In fact he was almost disappointed when he had left, as he desired more conversation. He hadn’t even gotten the other boy’s name.  
  
Finally he shrugs and turns, squatting at the settling pile of books and papers and pencils. Dan takes about five minutes to pick out the things he needs and stuffs them unceremoniously in his backpack. The rest he kicks aside, the capacity to care about others currently nonexistent in his head. He chuckles to himself, just barely pitying the person who would have to clean up after him when this mess is discovered, and stumbles through the library in a drunken daze. He really should’ve taken Brian’s advice in taking some shots of espresso or even alcohol down with him. As he staggers through the hallways of bookshelves, he thinks he might’ve glimpsed the long-haired man sitting at a table by himself, but he doesn’t turn to address it. Least he found his table, Dan still finds himself thinking. The thought vanishes quite quickly, however. He just wants to get some sleep while he still can.

 

The alarm is clattering against the floor before he even realizes he’s moving his arm. Slowly Dan sits up, a long raspy sigh puffing from his mouth. He drowsily looks to the side, where Brian is letting out a huge yawn. His roommate takes one glance at him and covers his mouth as his shoulders shake with laughter. “Didn’t take me up on my suggestion, did you?” teases Brian. “You look like you’ve just walked through hell and back.”  
  
Dan fixes him with a hard glare. “Good morning too you too, asshole.” Reluctantly he drags himself out of bed, pulls on a shirt and dusts off his jeans. (He was much too tired to change out of yesterday’s pants last night.) Next comes the deodorant, then the rapid combing of his unruly mop of curls, and a little spritz of cologne. He gives his teeth a cursory brush and splashes his face with cold water just to wake himself up.  
  
He shoulders his backpack near the door as he waits for Brian to pull the comb through his fringe one last time before bounding over to join Dan. “Aw, cheer up,” Brian laughs, slapping Dan on the shoulder.  
  
“Please make like a tree and fuck off.”  
  
“It’s ‘leave me alone’, actually. You know, like a—”  
  
“Shut up, you bitch.” Dan gives Brian a half-smirk, letting him know he’s not genuinely mad, and heads through the dorms with his best friend. It’s only about six-thirty in the morning, giving them just enough time to snag something from the cafeteria before going to their Philosophy class at seven. They wind down a couple flights of stairs in silence, kicking up the pace as they near the cafeteria. Dan manages to swipe a bowl of fruit from the growing platter as the staff starts cooking breakfast. He takes a detour from Brian to nab a fresh pastry just out of the oven, smiling apologetically at the gloved lady giving him a look from behind the counter. Then he and Brian are headed towards class.  
  
“Oh, what’d you get?” Dan asks, looking over Brian’s shoulder and eyeing the bowl of steaming something in his hands. “Oatmeal?”  
  
“I’ll give you some if you give me half of that bearclaw.” Brian gives him a cheeky wink, knowing Dan was a sucker for sugary hot cereal. (For some godforsaken reason.)  
  
“Fine.” Dan tears off a chunk of the treat in his hand, almost dropping it in their hasty gait. In return Brian gives Dan a plastic spoon and lets him take three hearty scoops.  
  
Around them the hallways are beginning to fill with a thin crowd of students enrolled in early morning classes. Dan notices one of his other friends, Ross, and calls out his name. Ross glances at him and halfheartedly waves, looking somewhat more energized than Dan himself but undeniably exhausted.  
  
“Fuck, Brian. What’re we gonna do with our lives when we graduate this year? Like, we can barely get up in the morning.”  
  
Brian looks up at Dan and shrugs. “I mean, we’ve got our arts working out for us. Didn’t you want to be a musician or something?”  
  
“Not gonna lie, I’m not so sure about that anymore.”  
  
Brian rubs his back in a comforting gesture. “Hey,” he assures Dan, “you can always come back to major in something other than Fine Arts. Maybe…Modern Languages or something.”  
  
Dan glares at Brian, wrinkling his nose, and the other boy laughs. “What? Too nerdy?”  
  
“A bit.”  
  
“Well, don’t stress it now. We don’t need to have our whole lives planned out right now. Just finish what we’re doing right now and we’ll be fine, I guess.”  
  
Dan gives him a forced smile, trying to show his gratitude for Brian’s apparent calm mind. “Sure. We’ll see,” he repeats, more for himself than anything.  
  
They find their classroom and slip in. There are a few students already inside, but a quick look at the clock reveals about ten minutes until the class starts. Dan expects most people will probably arrive a minute to the bell or later. The professor is lingering near the front of the room, jotting down some words on the whiteboard that Dan doesn’t remotely care about at the moment.  
  
He and Brian pick out seats near the back—a new experience, since this is just about the first time they ever arrived with time to kill. Dan sinks his seat into a sigh and puts his head into his hands, muttering through his fingers, “D’you think I could steal a nap back here, Brian?”  
  
“Normally I’d say yeah, but we have a final in two days. You should study up.”  
  
Dan groans. “I’m really beginning to hate that word. Next time you say it, I might just slap you.” “Study, Daniel.”  
  
Brian laughs as Dan jumps to life and backhands him, soft enough to avoid hurting him but hard enough to make an audible noise. “Alright! Alright, shit.” Dan settles back down, pouting at his friend, and steals the half-filled cup of oatmeal and spoon from his desk. Other than a mockingly annoyed look, Brian doesn’t stop him as he consumes the remaining grains. While he’s eating, out of the corner of his eye, Dan sees Brian staring at the front of the class. “Whoa, Dan, check out this guy,” Brian mumbles to him, eyes still locked on someone in front of them. “He looks hella worse than you.”  
  
Dan tilts his head up a bit, raising his eyes to look at the student Brian’s referring to. He looks for barely a second before focusing back on his oatmeal, and then almost immediately lifts his head back up to do a double take. It’s the same man from the library just hours ago, but he looks absolutely out of it. There are black bags the size of Washington hanging underneath his eyes, a stark contrast to his pale face. His hair is now pulled back in a sloppy ponytail that looks like a drunken walrus had done it for him, but several thick strands have escaped and are now falling around his face. Somehow he still has decent posture, and he looks confident for such an early class. The same feeling as last night returns, and for some reason Dan finds himself transfixed by this student, his mouth slightly open. Maybe it’s just his sleep-deprived mind, but he finds this guy curiously handsome in the way you’d find a well-built man who’s been sweating it out in the fields all day handsome.  
  
The young man makes lazy eye contact with him. Some kind of recognition sparks in his dark eyes, but it’s the only acknowledgement Dan gets. Still following him with his gaze and now his head, he stares at the student as he walks over to him and Brian. Brian has long dropped interest, but Dan’s still captivated.  
  
He doesn’t say a word as the man plops into the seat next to him, still not verbally addressing him. He bends down, hair falling all over the place now, and messily rifles through his bag. Now Brian has taken notice, and Dan feels his feathery hair tickling his cheek as his best friend leans in and murmurs, “You know this little shit?” “Little exhausted piece of shit, yeah,” Dan whispers back, though he’s not exactly worried about his apparent new companion overhearing. He looked about as alive as a rock. “I saw him last night in the library.”  
  
An understanding hum answers him. Dan senses Brian leaning away but still observing quietly. But his eyes are still glued to the other man, who has produced a canteen on his desk. The smell indicates coffee. He’s still rummaging through his backpack, and a few seconds later, the man—quite triumphantly—pulls out a Monster Energy drink.  
  
He takes one look at Dan, whose eyes have grown ever wider and whose mouth has dropped ever lower, and deadpans, “I’m going to fucking die,” before proceeding to pop open the can and pouring all of the contents into the canteen. Dan just stares in a mix of surprise, a tinge of horror, and a whole wave of respect for this guy as he maintains eye contact with Dan as the liquid keeps streaming out. He doesn’t look away as he taps the bottom of the can, making sure its emptied. Dropping the can on the floor, he twists on the cap and shakes up the mixture inside. A low whistle behind him reveals Brian watching, too.  
  
The man barely glances behind Dan’s head before looking back at him, almost daring him to tell him to stop. A little mischievous smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he wiggles his eyebrows in such a way that Dan feels a little bit of blush rising in his neck and ears even though he knows the guy is just playing with him. Thankfully he doesn’t get much time to think on that, because his entire mind is completely distracted when the student grabs the canteen, raises it to his lips, and starts swigging furiously. Every giant gulp is outlined in the shape of his bobbing Adam’s apple, and each time Dan spots a swallow, his heart gets just a bit faster for fear for this guy’s life.  
  
He keeps on drinking his liquid death, ingesting more caffeine and sugar and plenty of other awful things than you probably should ever come into contact with in an entire lifespan. And he doesn’t even stop to breathe. Behind him Brian says, “Oh, shit, man, that’s just asking for a serious crash in about an hour. Hell, probably a lot sooner.”  
  
The guy just holds up a shaking hand.  
  
Brian lets out a snort of disbelief and props his head on Dan’s shoulder. Five long seconds later, the man finally slams his presumably empty canteen down and gasps for breath, his eyes out of focus and dazed. The fuzz around his lips are dripping with brown liquid, and some of it is running down his chin. But Dan can’t even find that gross, he’s so impressed and disgusted and in awe at the same time. “Do I dare ask what was already in the coffee?” he asks, the first time he’s actually spoken to him since the library.  
  
The man gives him a toothy grin, already looking like he’s feeling the caffeine. “Three shots of espresso, baby,” he beams, crossing his arms. “Don’t tell me you haven’t ever once thought of doing that. You looked like you coulda gone for one of Arin’s Specials last night.”  
  
Dan ignores him except for the fact that he now had the student’s name. “I knew you looked familiar. Arin. I didn’t even realize you were in this class before now, though.” Arin rolls his eyes and leans back in his seat, letting out a loud belch. Several girls who had just entered give him looks, all of which he entirely disregards. He turns to look at Dan and licks his lips, saying, “Well, now you’ll never forget me, now, will you?” He looks like he’s about to say more but covers his mouth with his hand as he burps again, wincing as he does. “Aw, fuck will I feel that soon.”  
  
Dan finds himself laughing despite himself. In his ear Brian unexpectedly breathes, “Dude, you’re blushing like a motherfucker.”  
  
He slaps Brian again in response.  
  
Arin takes notice and lifts his eyebrows without commenting. Dan shoves Brian away and leans forward, uncertainly sticking his hand out. “Dan Avidan,” he introduces himself, his voice thankfully not too nervous. After all, he had just watched Arin pretty much kill himself. He thinks that was decent basis for friendship.  
  
Arin shakes his hand without hesitation, looking bashful when Dan notices how hard he’s already trembling. For the sake of Arin’s ego, Dan doesn’t point it out. “Arin Hanson. What year are you?”  
  
“Senior. You?”  
  
“Ah, freshman. I transferred here from some small university in Florida at the beginning of this semester.”  
  
“Maybe that’s why I don’t remember you very well,” muses Dan. “And shit, you’re already taking this class? What are you, a child prodigy?” Arin winks at him again, throwing Dan off edge. “Nah. Just a nerd.”  
  
Dan chuckles through his nose, quirking up the right side of his mouth. Arin stares back at him, his eyes shining. (Probably the caffeine.) Personally, Dan could’ve stared into those huge brown eyes for the rest of the day. The peculiar way Arin’s looking at him, with some blood lending some color in his cheeks and a stupidly happy expression plastered on his face, doesn’t help Dan’s current stupefied state.  
  
A finger jabbed into his ribs breaks the illusion. “That’s Brian Wecht,” blurts Dan, flinching. “Annoying as fuck and a total douchebag.” A second finger jabbed into the back of his neck and an indignant sound makes Dan laugh and slap around behind him. “You know it’s true!”  
  
Arin watches them (mostly Dan, of course, but neither will admit it) with a wide grin that makes him look a whole lot better despite the major signs of fatigue. Then he holds up a finger, turns away, and lets out a loud urrrrp!  
  
At that moment, the bell rings, and the professor instantaneously shouts, “Get out your packets from last night out! I want to see them complete and on the table. And don’t you dare try to cram in some work, Jackson, I’m starting off with you.”  
  
The room is quickly filled with scattered laughter, immediately followed by a loud murmur and the sound of papers being pulled out. Brian takes that moment to disconnect himself from the conversation between Dan and Arin and immerses himself in his work. Dan has to hesitate for a moment, wondering if he did the assignment.  
  
“Did you do it?” Arin loudly whispers, voicing his thoughts.  
  
“I think so,” Dan mutters, grabbing his thick binder and flipping through it. “Yeah, I did. Did you?”  
  
Arin purses his lips. “Dunno. I stayed up way too late last night, so.”  
  
“Oh yeah, that. Did you get any sleep at all? Like, when did you leave? If I had known you had the same class as I did, like right now, I probably would’ve made you come back with me,” Dan admits after a moment’s thought.  
  
Arin grins with his tongue between his teeth and slugs Dan on the shoulder, joking, “How sweet of you. Yeah, I don’t think I slept at all. Maybe ten minutes or something. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done it. Besides, I got my coffee and shit to keep me awake, right?”  
  
Dan makes a show of rolling his eyes in disapproval. “I’m not gonna lie to you—it only gets harder. But seriously, I don’t want to get woken up by ambulances in the middle of the night because some idiot freshmen overdosed on Monster and espresso.”  
  
Arin bursts out with laughter, drawing a look from many people around them. The professor lifts his head up and calls sternly, “Do we have a problem, Mr. Hanson?”  
  
“No, sir,” Arin humbly answers, without any of the decency to look repentant. As soon as the professor turns away to answer someone’s question, he looks right back at Dan and praises, “I like you. And your humor.”  
  
“Well, thanks. Doesn’t do me any justice as far as ladies go, of course.”  
  
Arin opens his mouth to answer, but clearly thinks better of it and closes it, shaking his head. He hiccups and belches, fortunately a lot quieter, and opts for replying, “You sure don’t label me as the single type.”  
  
“Is that so?”  
  
“Yeah. With your, you know, freaky curly haired afro you’ve got going on pretty well for you.” Arin snickers at the look Dan gives him. “It looks great, I promise. Especially for a guy who didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”  
  
“You’re not bad yourself,” Dan responds, surprised by the sincerity of the compliment—and the sincerity of his own reply. His heart warms by the way Arin looks at him in gratitude, and giggles when he hiccups again.  
  
“Hey, lover boy,” Brian mumbles in his ear. “Are you done flirting, or are you planning on partnering with your boyfriend?”  
  
Dan wheels around to stare at him incredulously, fighting down the clouds of rouge in his face. “Excuse me?”  
  
Brian gives him a condescending look. “Professor just asked us to partner up to review for the final. I assume he’s in a shitty mood since he’s basically giving us a free period. So are you gonna get to know Arin a little better or be with me? Because there’s a hot mama I’ve been scoping out for weeks now that is currently sans partner. Maybe I can take her out sometime. Yeah.”  
  
Dan reddens at both ideas that Brian proposed and waves him away, muttering, “Yeah—yeah, just go with her. I’ll be back here.”  
  
The smug smile on Brian’s face makes Dan want to kick him in the ass as he stands up with his papers and saunters down the rows towards the girl he’s eyeing. Cursing under his breath, Dan scoots closer to Arin, mumbling, “I’m hoping you don’t stand me up because Brian just left me for a chick.” He makes sure to word it so that he can at least rely on some pity from his new friend.  
  
Arin looks up at him and sniggers, “But of course, Avidan.” He simpers with yet another coy wink, so flirty that Dan actually hits him on the shoulder and mutter, “Stop it, you ass.”  
  
The laugh that hits his ears is so delightful that Dan begins hoping for another chance to chastise Arin out of embarrassment just to hear it again. “So I guess we’re on that level now, aren’t we?” asks Arin, motioning for Dan to get closer.  
  
“Guess so. I prefer things fast.”  
  
“I bet you do.” Arin sticks his tongue out and boldly puts a hand on Dan’s thigh, sending a massive line of heat star-bursting from the point of contact. He giggles at Dan’s expression and wrinkles his nose, looking down at his paper. He lifts his hand away, letting Dan breathe again. “Fine, fine, I get it. Work, yeah?”  
  
“Yeah,” is all Dan can manage, deciding he very much likes Arin and the kind of person he is.  
  
The rest of the period passes without much more excitement, although every so often Dan would feel Arin’s leg sidling up to his and rubbing against him. He never says a word, but every time it happens he feels Arin’s eyes burning a hole in the side of his face when he refuses to look at him. The blush is very evident, but apparently Arin has the modesty to not point it out. By the time the bell rings, there are so many pent-up emotions and heat in his body that Dan actually jumps up, scrambling for his things when they go flying off the desk. “Shit—sorry, man,” he apologizes when Arin stands up automatically, startled. “I, uh—I gotta go, my next class is like all the way across campus…”  
  
His voice dies when Arin slaps his hand down on Dan’s own, halting him. “Hold on. Number,” Arin demands, holding out a torn piece of notebook paper.  
  
Swallowing, Dan nods and hesitantly pulls his hand out from Arin’s grip to scribble down his phone number. “Here,” he says, practically shoving the paper into Arin’s chest. Arin takes it gratefully and puts it, folded, into his pocket. He then pulls out a Sharpie and motions for Dan’s arm. He hesitates before giving it to Arin, who pries Dan’s fingers apart to jot his number down on his hand.  
  
Dan just stands there, trying not to twitch, hardly believing that this generally stable man had caffeine of superb amounts running through his veins. Had it not been for the can of Monster he had accidentally crushed underfoot, Dan wouldn’t have remembered. He focuses on the way Arin holds his hand, his fingers gripping him tightly, warmth pulsing through him with every shared heartbeat. He risks a look up at Arin, finding a face of intent concentration there. His eyebrows are furrowed and his tongue sticking out halfway, dark mocha eyes too unnaturally bright but still beautiful.  
  
Arin finishes writing and looks at Dan, who quickly glances away. He pushes Dan’s hand into a fist and backs away, smiling. “You’ll call me later, won’t you?” he asks, pulling his best puppy dog face.  
  
Dan tries for a joking grin but fails, his smile far too genuine and revealing. He feels the emotion becoming much too obvious, so he turns away to grab his backpack instead. “Of course,” he still answers, straightening up and throwing a shoulder back to balance his bag. Then, unable to resist the urge to add something else, Dan questions on a whim, “Dinner tonight? I know a place.”  
  
Arin’s face lights up, making Dan feel all the better in that moment. “That sounds great. I’ll see you then.” With that, Arin grabs Dan’s biceps for a few seconds—a few seconds too short—and smiles. Dan gazes back, entranced, and is left there when Arin lets go and walks away. He’s still standing there when Brian comes back for him, and without even asking for context, Brian punches him and asks slyly, “So you’re the younger, over-caffeinated male type, eh? I didn’t know you were gay.”  
  
“Fuck off.”

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> I sorta wanna write a sequel but at the same time I don't.


End file.
